Cats

When Dan asked me what I wanted for Christmas, there were two things on the list – new waterproof trousers and a cat.

We have two cats - Felix (13) and Bertie (nearly 4). Bertie’s brother, Harry, was killed on the road back in May. Of the six cats we’ve lived with, five have been black. Actually, five have been black toms – only Copper was different being a tortie female. We’re nothing if not predictable.

So about ten days before Christmas, we set off to the Cat Protection shelter in Dundee – “just for a look”. There were a couple of black females on the website that we quite fancied, but neither was suitable for us. Then the lady said “What about Pepsi?” – black tom, about 4 years old; was a stray being fed by a lady with four cats of her own; lady unfortunately died; husband kept two cats and the other three came into the shelter. We saw him, had a chat and said, “Yes, please”.

Unusual to have all three in the same place for any length of time, but they were enjoying the sun. Harry is closest to the camera, then Bertie, then Felix standing.

Felix seems not to have a kidney problem - all the tests have been fine and he's put on a wee bit of weight. Still waiting for the results of the urine bacterial culture to see if he has a UTI. Must be wos - worried owner syndrome.

Our two young cats, Harry and Bertie, are two today! I don't know where the two years have gone, to be honest.

They are litter brothers and very close, although Harry in particular loves Felix, too. Harry was the biggest kitten but Bertie is now the "chunky monkey", while Harry is "rinky slinky" - how daft am I? When they were small, they looked a bit like black Siamese - Bertie had a wee, pointy face. He still does, but now it's attached to a big body. God knows how much he weighs.

Our little cat, Felix, is unwell. You wouldn't know to look at him - he's been "helping" us outside today and playing with leaves and stuff. However, he had an ear infection about six weeks ago and when I was there, I mentioned to the vet that I thought he was losing weight. Since then, he's been weighed twice and he's dropped from 3.75kg to 3.4kg - not a lot of grammes but a significant percentage of his bodyweight.

So, he's had some blood tests - it's not his thyroid or his liver, but it could be a kidney problem. He's had some tests done on a urine sample and there is excess protein in his urine, although other tests have been fine. He's to go tomorrow to have a sterile urine sample taken by needle from the bladder, to be cultured to see if there is a bacterial infection and, if so, what bacteria are present. He'll then get an antibiotic to clear up any infection.

Harry and Bertie have been driving me nuts at night. During the day, the caravan door is pretty much always open and they dot in and out as they please, but at night, I was up and down like a yo-yo, letting them in and out. Last weekend, Dan and I discussed how we might put in a cat flap. No need!

One of the design faults of the caravan is that there is nowhere to hang jackets or keep outdoor footwear. So Dan purchased a two-sided gazebo and erected it beside the caravan. Its roof is just outside the kitchen window. Last night, I heard Bertie meowing to get in and, instead of being 'down there', on the ground, he was 'up there', on top of the gazebo. He'd also tried to get out the hopper at the top of the kitchen window. Aha!

So much for keeping the cats in for two weeks. They got out this morning and have been having a high old time. Felix was out and in a few times, but really prefers to watch the world go by from behind the net curtain. I just hope they come in tonight.

A week short of their first birthday, Harry and Bertie have discovered bunnies. They must be catching at least one, maybe two, baby bunnies daily. We found (well, Meg found) the rear third of one under the bed and there was another in the field; I've rescued two. I do praise the cats when I take their bunny away, but advise them to kill it away from the house.

I know it's soft and we got the cats to reduce bunny numbers, but when I see the wee bunnies cowering in terror, I have to intervene. If the deed's already been done, then hey, ho. I'm now shutting off as many rooms as possible so I don't have to check under all the furniture every day.

I'm not too worried about moving sheep and poultry, or even the horses, so long as Smokey has a companion. But I am a little anxious about the dogs and cats.

Felix will be fine; he only goes out with us anyway. The kittens are a different kettle of fish, but I'm hoping that they are young and adaptable enough to relocate without any major issues. We'll keep them in one room for a week or so, then in the house until hopefully they know it's home. We'll probably use Feliway to help relieve any stress. It was hugely successful when we had Homer and we used it when we first brought the kittens home, mainly for Felix.

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Who is the Accidental Smallholder?

Hello, I'm Rosemary Champion, aka the Accidental Smallholder. I'm a smallholder in the east of Scotland and started this website to help other people who are interested in smallholding to find their way, and to share my experiences.